Written in Reverse: Ab Incunabulis
by LuckyLikesLemons
Summary: This is your average time travel fix-it AU, except for the part where Nico is, well, Nico, and derails the whole timeline by accident. With old enemies, new allies and everything in between, it would take no less than a miracle to keep things from flying off the rails. Nico finds himself in a time he never expected to turn up in. And a place he never expected to return to. Enjoy!
1. After the Pain Subsides

**Disclaimer:**

The PJO universe doesn't belong to me. The plot was loosely inspired by _IdeasCornicopia'_ s story, _Nico di Angelo and the Bane of the Gods_. The story, the way it's written, most of the incidents and some other aspects are the ones that are my own. There may be a few OCs sprinkled in later, but who knows?

Since the second arc has a _way_ different setting from the first, (un)fortunately, Kronos does not appear in this Arc (but later... well, I make no promises) and other characters show up. Unlike AO3, has a limit on character tags and whatnot, so I was in a bit of a dilemma.

And this was my solution!

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello all you happy people. This is AK with the new chapter of Written In Reverse! Hope you like it! Also, thank you, _thank you_ for the 400+ views (:D)! I never expected it, and I. am. shook.

 **Summary:** Nico thought that, after going toe to toe with the Lord of Time himself, he would find the things that came after relatively easier. Nico thought wrong. What lies in store for our little ball of darkness?

* * *

 **Book One**

 **Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis**

 **Chapter 5: After the Pain Subsides**

* * *

Nico opened his eyes to meet a blurry world.

And immediately closed them again.

 _If you do not see them, they cannot see you,_ he reminded himself.

A child's myth that, when in a place like Tartarus, might mean the difference between life and death.

He did a quick mental pat down.

No burns or bleeding wounds.

Slight dizziness, but that was to expected.

Scull ring, intact.

Aviator's jacket, check.

Stygian iron sword- absent.

He sent his powers flowing parallel through the ground, not through the Earth itself, but through the structure which held him.

Weird. He felt unusually… detached.

In Tartarus, there were many creatures which held powers over the mortal mind.

On one hand, some were harmless, that is- as far as anything of Tartarus could be called as such.

(And what that said about Nico…)

However, on the other hand, some creatures were simply vicious-

They could hamper one's sense of sight, smell, or touch.

(Who could you trust if you couldn't trust yourself?)

They could deceive one to believe that one's closest friend is one's vilest foe.

(He didn't bother with these much because he knew none of his friends were down there with him. But he had to wonder… was this how Percy, or Annabeth, met their end?)

They could make one think that one had hardly enough space to breathe, when in reality one was in an empty piece of land the size of a football field.

(He hated those as they reminded him of his time in the jar. If the Seven came even minutes later… he didn't even want to think about it)

They could mess with his perception of reality.

But they had one thing in common- they could _not_ mess with his powers.

And this particular fact came in use more times than he'd liked to admit.

But he digressed.

From what he could tell, was in a large room, with high walls made of bricks.

He noted some kind of a metal décor with the letters 'W' and 'H' written in fancy lettering mounted on one of the walls.

Rows of tables, no benches, no- bleachers?

Was he in a school then?

There were overwhelming signals of mortal life all around him, making it hard to differentiate.

Maybe he was in an Alliance camp?

He doubted it, but seeing that they seemed content to let him be, he decided to come back to that later.

There was some 'monster' activity outside of one of those doors.

It was nothing he couldn't handle- maybe a single monster of upper medium to mid-range potential, or a group of a few small order monsters.

The air wasn't poisonous, the ground wasn't alive.

Okay, he was fairly certain that he was _not_ in Tartarus.

 _That's_ one _load off my back_.

Nico then sent out a silver of his consciousness into the ground to check for the presence of Gaia.

He probed lightly, as gentle as a feather.

He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, after all.

To his surprise, he felt the absence of the aggressive, omnipotent power that could be felt just below the surface ever since Gaia awoke.

Hopefully, that meant that there was no rip in the Space-Time continuum.

And as an added bonus, he was still in one piece.

No less particulate than usual.

Huh.

So the time travelling thing actually worked.

There was peace and quiet all around.

Well, speaking in the sense that the world was not ending, not that there was actual _peace_ and _quiet_.

He fully opened his eyes and let them feast on his surroundings.

The room was packed with children with clean clothes and faces, some of whom looked rather familiar, now that he thought about it…

Judging from the bleachers placed- in a C-like shape around the side opposite to the door- it was an auditorium of sorts.

There were children dancing in the middle, to a song that was… Jesse McCartney?

It was foreign to him, the way these mortals seemed to have no care of the war- and yet…

Somehow, he had a feeling of déjà vu.

How strange.

He was sitting cross-legged on the ground in the juncture between two rows of bleachers.

That was when he realized that something was really wrong.

His center of balance was unstable, and there seemed to be… less of him than usual.

It was like almost like he'd- _shrunk_.

This… wasn't supposed to happen.

As he peered down at himself, he noticed that his hands were much smaller than his familiar ones, almost like those of…

 _Oh Hades_ …

The pieces fell into place with painful precision.

He wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry.

Could someone _please_ remind him how could he have been such an _idiot_?

 _Oh gods,_ Nico thought.

One part of his brain was screaming,

' _I'm in Westover Hall. I am in_ Westover Hall _. I. Am. In. Freaking. Westover. Hall. I knew I should have scrapped that stupid plan when I had the chance. Now that idiot of titanic proportions has made me_ twelve. _Who in Hades_ does _that!?'_

The other part was even less helpful- it simply went offline.

This was a _major_ complication in the plan. He had expected himself to be a fully capable young man of nineteen, not a twelve year old… kid!

He'd _planned_ that he would stay in the shadows, making several small, but vital corrections of his timeline as it went progressed.

Not that he'd have to relive the past all over again!

(Okay, fine. It wasn't much of a plan really. But in his defense, he had less than three minutes to formulate it.)

It just wasn't _fair_.

What?

Was nothing going to go the way he wanted it to?

"Nico, are you alright?" asked a soft, concerned female voice, cutting his mental breakdown short.

It was a voice that was so familiar, so lovely, and so, so sorely missed, that Nico felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

He whispered in a voice that cracked with unspoken words-

"Bianca."

"…Nico?"

He blinked the tears back hurriedly.

He hoped she didn't notice. But as always, she did.

"Are you _sure_ you don't need to see the nurse?"

Nico shook his head and mumbled his dissent. He took a moment to observe her from the corner of his eye.

She was just as he remembered her.

Her round girlish face with a pointy chin, currently half-covered by her lime green hat, was slightly tilted to one side.

Her slightly wavy black hair tumbled over her shoulders in loose locks.

Her long, thick eyelashes fell over her brown eyes, which were narrowed in a familiar expression of concern.

A good dash of freckles were seen on her button-like nose, brought into sharp notice by her Italian olive complexion.

She held a glass filled with water in her left hand, which she held out to him.

 _Okay, calm down. Calm down and_ think.

His dead sister was- not dead.

Why did she want him to visit the school nurse, again?

 _'I was dizzy_ ,' his mind reminded him as he numbly curled his hand around the cup and brought it to his lips.

' _So_ that's _why she wasn't by my side unlike last time.'_

Unlike last time.

What exactly had happened the last time?

The monster behind the door edged closer, and Nico was able to recognize it- a Manticore.

Or, to be specific, a certain Dr. Thorn.

He finally identified which time frame he was in.

It was the one when Dr. Thorn would try to kidnap them.

He wanted to smack himself.

The moment that changed his life indeed.

It had been so _obvious_.

 _Percy._

He discreetly glanced around the room.

Now that he was looking, he could see a disgruntled Thalia dancing with Grover on the near side of the room.

And on the far side-

His heart stopped when he saw Percy dancing awkwardly with Annabeth.

During the war, Percy and Annabeth had truly embraced the concept of being the 'Golden Couple'.

They had become a sign of heroism, a symbol of hope, a cause to rally behind.

When they had died, they had died fighting the horrors of Tartarus side by side- martyrs for the cause they believed in.

Very heroic, very inspiring, and every time he thought of it, it sent a burning spike of ice down his throat.

But at the sight of the two legends as children without the weight of war on their shoulders…

Nico found that he was unable to look away.

And at that moment, he knew-

He may never completely get over the son of Poseidon.

But he would _not_ feel the bone deep ache he used to have each time he saw him.

Not anymore.

(Or is it will have when he sees him? Uh… these tenses were going to give him a serious headache)

But back to Dr. Thorn. The Manticore was starting to get a _bit_ too close to comfort.

He stood at the doorway, sweeping the room with a jaundiced eye.

His gaze swept past their shadowy corner where it _almost_ lingered on them, before it fell on the Satyr dancing with Thalia.

His lips curled into a sneer as he made his way towards the duo.

Nico sighed in relief as the two drifted away from his location.

He saw Percy exchanging whispered words with Annabeth.

He tensed up as the green eyed boy approached their perch.

Bianca noticed his movement, and looked wearily at the new-comer.

"Hi, I'm Percy," said Percy with a charming grin.

His hair fell rakishly over his eyes. His eyes held the merry sparkle which he had lost long before he fell into Tartarus.

His familiar facial features were relaxed, and his posture was casual, despite obvious nervousness.

Bianca looked at the son of Poseidon with no little suspicion.

Nevertheless, she introduced herself, then Nico.

As the two older children started talking, Nico turned his gaze elsewhere.

He noted that Thalia and Grover were leading the Manticore on a merry chase around the gym.

Annabeth sent a glance towards Thalia and slipped out of the gym.

Thalia seemed to get the memo and half danced and half dragged a flailing Grover towards the door.

Well, this was going to take a while.

* * *

Percy managed to convince Bianca, and by unspoken extension Nico, to step outside the gymnasium.

They turned the corner into the corridor. Suddenly, Percy froze.

Nico slipped in front of Bianca, to try peek over, or rather around, him.

Being short sucked.

Even so, he was able to make out a humanoid shape in the shadows-

Just before something sharp and lethal flew out towards them.

"Look out!" Nico shouted, pulling Bianca down.

A wicked looking spike impaled the wall behind them.

They stared at the creature stepping out of the shadows.

"Thank you for stepping out of the gym, I really _do_ hate the middle school prom," said the Vice Principal in an oily voice.

(Whoa. Déjà vu or what?)

He was only able to glimpse Dr. Thorn, before he was violently pulled into the protective circle of Bianca's arms.

He went along, grumbling slightly.

He had killed worse monsters when he was asleep.

Or will kill.

Whatever, Time travel was confusing.

"Monsieur Nico, Mademoiselle Bianca, come this way. The young man too, if you please."

Percy inched to the left.

"And before anyone gets… troublesome," He eyed the spike on the wall,

"Resistance is highly discouraged."

* * *

Nico was about to die.

No, not because of the monster staring down at them with its repulsive gaze.

No, not even because of the whole time travel shindig.

It was, in fact, because of his overprotective elder sibling, who held his neck in a vice-like grip.

"Uncle. _Uncle_ ," he whispered before she finally noticed.

Nico let out a sigh of relief.

And now, for the other pressing matters-

After much deliberation, he decided not to take on Dr. Thorn head-to-head.

For one, there were too many witnesses.

Number two, he did not have his weapons. Yet.

And number three, he had an atypical desire to be coddled by his sister.

(In his defense, hadn't been coddled by his sister for nearly a decade, and he deserved the respite.)

He carefully weighed the pros and cons of the situation and decided to let Percy take care of this situation.

Before he knew it, they were the Manticore's captives.

* * *

 _This is the last time I trust Jackson with anything,_ thought Nico moodily.

He stared at the hulking form of Dr. Thorn in front of him.

 _This is_ so _pointless_.

Heads swiveled around to him as he blinked around before realizing that he had spoken aloud.

Brain to mouth filter.

 _Right_.

The Manticore made a low, growling noise at the bottom of his throat, but the sound which truely sent a shiver down his spine was Bianca's huff.

"Don't you have _any_ sensitivity to your surroundings?"

"What? Where's the fire?" he said easily.

Okay- he could _probably_ get out of this without bloodshed-

"Nico did you or did you not hear what Percy just said?" asked Bianca, scrunching up her face disapprovingly.

-Or maybe not.

"Who now?"

"This guy. Percy Jackson."

Percy put his hand up hesitantly with a nervous smile.

"'Sup?"

"Nico. Did. You. Listen. To. Him?"

"Uh… No?" said Nico.

He figured that this was his best option, since he did not remember more than a few words of what Percy had said.

And since he had already lived the actual thing, he had no wish to give details about things which he wasn't supposed to know about, thank you very much.

So yeah.

When in doubt, go with feigned ignorance.

One of his favorite mottos.

Works every time.

Percy grinned at him in a slightly nervous manner as Bianca threw her hands up in annoyance.

…Or maybe not.

"Nico, you should _listen_ to people when they talk. If you only you would stop burying you nose in those _stupid_ card games…"

Nico, naturally, went on defensive. Long-lost sister or not, Mythomagic was a quality card game.

And he said as much,

"Hey, Mythomagic _is_ not stupid!"

"Focus, Nico! And _listen_ to the people around you."

"Oh, so if I do listen, it's eavesdropping, and if don't, it is not paying attention. That's so not fair!"

"Oh for the sake of the heavens when will you learn- Not fair? Won't you grow up?!"

He said something ungentlemanly under his breath in Italian.

And immediately wished that he could take it back.

He was pretty sure his sister combusted.

Nico quailed under her furious glare. He was sure that the temperature had dropped by at _least_ ten degrees.

"…What did you say, _idiota_?"

"Nothing."

"Nico di Angelo, if you value your life then you _will_ answer me! _Where did you learn that word_?"

"…I plead the fifth?"

At this point they switched to Italian.

"Nico, how could you say that? I raised you better."

"You didn't raise me at all," he mumbled under his breath, before continuing,

"Sorry Bianca, I just needed to get you talking in Italian. I don't think that Dr. Thorn knows it."

The Manticore shot a look at them at the sound of his name.

Bianca huffed indignantly.

"Fine. But don't think you're off the hook. And don't use his name unless you want him to notice."

"What are we going to do about the Vice-principal?"

"…I don't know."

She glanced over at the Manticore.

Dr. Thorn had stopped paying attention to what they were saying.

And well, they had lost Percy long before that.

Poor seaweed brain.

"Maybe we should listen to what he says," said Bianca, nodding towards the Manticore.

"Who? Dr. Prickly-Pants?"

He earned a huff of laughter at the nickname.

"Bianca, he is not who he says he is. I think he is a terrorist-"

"All the more reason to follow him. If he isn't after _us_ in particular, then maybe-"

"But he _is_ after us in particular."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because he just said so?"

"When?"

"In the corridor."

"Oh so you listened _then_ but not when-"

"Bee, focus."

"…Well, if that's case, he won't kill us as long as he has use of us."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"…Nico?"

"I don't know. I just have a really bad feeling about it."

"Bad feeling? You mean one like the time on the bus?"

"No, this one's worse. Way worse."

"Well, we could follow that Percy. But I don't think we should place our trust in someone our age."

"Yeah, but he feels… safer somehow? But in reality he's more likely to get us killed, isn't he."

"He feels safer?" said Bianca, skeptical,

"I don't know about that. If anything, he feels foolish."

"Yes. And that's what could get us killed. Ah! I can't make up my mind!"

"So you think it is more logical to follow Dr. Thorn, but it feels right to follow the boy. Me… I think we should follow the one with the weapon."

Nico shook his head hesitantly.

"Then what should we do?"

"…I don't know. I don't know!"

"I do not feel comfortable with it either. But hey, if you feel so strongly about the boy, we'll follow him."

"Un…"

"Take your time. Nod once for the spikes, twice for the boy."

Nico considered this carefully.

He didn't have a solid reason to convince Bianca to follow Percy.

And if they went along with the Manticore, they'd get mixed up with Luke and his lot.

But on the other hand, if Bianca was away from the Campers, she would be away from the Hunters…

Nico made a decision.

Alright then.

As they say- if you want to do something no one has ever done, you must try something no one has ever tried.

When Nico was quiet for over a minute, Bianca shot a worried glance at him.

He needed to start his mission _sometime_ , so why not now?

...Why was he hesitating?

Nico glanced at Percy one last time and nodded his head once.

Bianca smiled, and nodded once back.

Nico answered her with a small smile of his own and let another moment of silence pass.

He then cocked his head to the side and slowly drawled,

" _So_ what you mean to say _is_... You admit it? That I was right all along?"

"Huh?" asked Bianca, confused.

"Mythomagic _is_ coolest game of the century?" He elaborated.

Bianca looked at him with tired fondness. She said,

"Heh. You wish. But- I'll admit it's pretty awesome."

"Yes!" he whooped-

And choked for air as something closed around his throat.

* * *

 **Preview:**

Dr. Thorn seemed to have enough of his chatter.

...Gods, what was he thinking?

..."Hello, I'm Annabeth."

...The world stopped.

...Nico and Jason stood back to back.

...He looked up into the enraged face of Nico di Angelo.

...What a mess.

...Nico made a decision. It wasn't a smart decision.

...His heart pounded in his chest.

...He _wouldn't_ mess up. He couldn't afford to.

* * *

Now it's time for the anon reviews! Thank you all so much for reviewing!

 **Matt:** W.r.t stands for 'with respect to'. It seems like I've unintentionally quoted my Mathematics text book, so sorry about that! And I'm glad that you're sticking around!

 **Guest:** Vagabond, huh? Duly noted.

 **SimplySauve** : *puts on sunglasses* I like your style.

 **Psychopath** : I'm glad you liked it, and happy that you picked up the subtle reference to the endings and beginnings theme I tried to apply. Of course, some are random-ish, but almost all of them play an important role in Nico's life, and in this story. And, no I guess he didn't know about Thalia's 'end'- maybe it's the last time he saw her fight? Or maybe he sees it in the sarcophagus of Kronos? But more about that later. 'Apocalyptic world' is a pretty good way to describe it, yes. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by Kronos being in Nico's debt...? And as for being anti-climatic, I'm sorry you felt that. But I will say no more on this matter to avoid spoilers. And yeah, that would have been totally cool- the seven stages of grief... asdfgh! Why didn't I think of it while writing it? And Evil Army, eh?

One of Vagabond, one for Evil Army. Mmm. Hm. Okay.

Oh, and don't worry, you'll see what it's for.

* * *

 **A/N:** Nothing ground breaking, but the 'moment that changed his life' was the moment Percy set eyes on him.

Don't forget to vote!

The options are vagabond, evil army or unconsciousness.

Please poll or review.

Upto two options are allowed.

Also, if you are wondering why the heck I'm updating on Friday when I clearly mentioned Saturday- I like to be unpredictable. ;P

Have a nice day!


	2. Flashbacks and Echoes

**A/N:** Hey guys! This is AK again with a new chapter. There are a few that may/may not break your heart, so look out! We've _actually_ reached 500+ views! Asdfgh! Thank you!

 **Summary:** Nico comes to terms with the harder side to his trip to the past. Things happen. Also, minor major character death (you'll see what I man).

* * *

 **Book One**

 **Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis**

 **Chapter 6: Flashbacks and Echoes**

* * *

Dr. Thorn seemed to have enough of his chatter.

The Manticore let loose a low, frustrated growl.

As the monster took a threatening step towards the demigods, Bianca gave a small scream of fear, while Percy looked up, alert and ready for battle.

The monster took no notice of the two elder demigods. It had simply plucked the whooping youngest from the circle of his sister's arms.

It dragged Nico forward and away from the two others by the hand around his neck, disregarding Bianca's panicked screams.

Nico was worried that she'd come after him, but a pale-faced Percy restrained her from doing anything drastic.

Nico looked up at the Manticore.

It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight.

The monster's mouth reeked and its teeth were sharp and off-white. Its fur was a matted brownish-yellow. Its clawed paws were so big; they were the size of his arms.

"Well you're not human," muttered Nico, furrowing his brows.

"Keep your puny mortal mouth shut!" the Manticore hissed.

Usually, a pre-teen who was just introduced to the life of a demigod will have the natural, instinctive knowledge of what to do to survive.

And that is to shut up and do whatever the big, hairy, scary monster says.

But seeing that the big, hairy, scary monster was mean to his sister, survival instincts took a distinctive second place.

So, naturally, he did the one thing a healthy, sane, not-having-a-death-wish demigod in his shoes would _not_ do.

Retaliate.

Or in other words, kick it where it hurts.

Fortunately, a belated impulse towards self-preservation kicked in and he got out of range as soon as possible.

The Manticore, however, was not a particularly _sensitive_ creature in the first place.

It just blinked for a second or two before twisting its face into an ugly snarl and lunging forward to attack him.

Nico dodged the Manticore by diving to one side and coming up next to him in a rather messy roll.

(He made a mental note to work on that later)

The Manticore turned around in an enraged manner.

Nico braced himself for a volley of spikes.

But something seemed weird.

His eyes caught on the tail.

It was high up in the air with the spikes not fully extended, which was odd.

The poison tips were the only portion sticking out, that too only slightly.

Its actions seemed confused- half-hearted to say the least.

Hmm… that meant the Manticore had not attacked him with lethal intent.

It must have had express orders not to harm him.

A.k.a the shenanigans up till now was it trying to 'put him in his place'.

But if that was true, then…

The Manticore looked up, eyes narrowed and suspicious.

Aw shucks.

He might as well have put up a pink and yellow neon arrow pointing towards him over his head.

Low profile indeed.

Gods, what was he thinking?

…And more to the point, what was Bianca thinking?

He hoped that she didn't notice anything odd.

He mentally face palmed at his own stupidity, before rubbing his eyes, and putting a confused look on his face.

Time for damage control.

He turned his head to where he had been a second before, towards the monster, then back again.

He looked at his slack jawed sister, whisper shouting,

"Did you _see_ that?" excitedly in her direction.

Percy grinned and shot a thumbs-up at him, before pulling out Riptide in its pen form.

Bianca looked a bit suspicious, but shook it off with a relieved smile.

Percy uncapped his sword and swung the blade at the Manticore's tail.

The blade just managed to graze the monster's skin, before the tail whipped up again.

A volley of poisoned spikes flew in all direction.

Just as a poisoned thorn the size of his leg was about to skewer him, an invisible force grabbed the back of his shirt and pushed him face first onto the ground.

He stayed down as two more spikes went deep into the ground where he was standing mere seconds ago.

Nico whipped his head around to look at the person who had come to his aid. A girl with princess blond curls took off a Yankees cap off her head.

Annabeth Chase.

"Cool!" was the only thing he had the time to say before they ducked to dodge another spike.

"Hello, I'm Annabeth." said Annabeth, with a polite smile.

"I'm Nico." said Nico, as he let gaze scan the ground in search of his sister.

He saw Bianca running towards him.

After confirming that she was alive and that her limbs were attached and fully functional, he turned his attention to Annabeth.

"Can I become invisible too?" he managed to ask the daughter of Athena, before his sister knocked the living daylights knocked out of him.

Bianca held him close to her, almost suffocating him, as Thalia and Grover joined the fighting.

Grover was using his reed pipes to play a frantic tune which made rope-like weeds grow unnaturally thick and fast around the Manticore.

As the Manticore was fighting an uphill battle against the demigods and the bonds securely binding him, Nico studied his cousin's fighting form.

Thalia was less agile as she used to be (would be?), but still pretty impressive for someone her age.

She was holding her spear expertly, excluding some minor flaws which she could correct over time.

The one major flaw that stood out to him was her shield.

She was relying on it rather extensively. It would prove to be more of a liability than an asset in certain situations.

It was a habit she would (probably) grow out of.

But amateurish or not, they were slowly bringing the situation under control.

Of course, with their luck, that was when the helicopter arrived.

The sound of a helicopter's whirring blades cut through the noise of battle.

The demigods stared in shocked silence as Dr. Thorn's backup finally arrived.

And started shooting at them.

And in that moment of distraction, all Hell broke loose.

Manticore threw its head back and roared.

It lifted its tail high in the air and sent a volley of spikes in all directions.

Their only saving grace was that the helicopter was struck too.

It veered to the side and went _down,_ over the side of the cliff.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thorn shook both Percy and Grover off with two swipes of its tail and swung its arm blindly towards Thalia.

Thalia was thrown off to one side, her shield and spear flung in the other.

The world stopped.

* * *

Nico's vision was clouded with the memory of another demigod child of Zeus being separated from his enchanted weapon.

He felt his heart's unhurried beat in his ears.

He did not realize that he'd wrenched out of his sister's grasp.

He did not hear Bianca screaming at him to stop.

He was not thinking about the consequences when he ran towards Thalia's spear.

His mind was not in synch with body.

It wasn't until the spear was halfway in the air, hurtling towards the Manticore looming over Thalia, did his body come out of the weird autopilot.

Yet still, he did nothing but watch as the sharp spearhead pierced the back of the Manticore's neck, turning it into golden dust.

He didn't even feel any alarm as one of the Manticore's wayward spikes cut the side of his head.

He could feel Percy and Thalia _staring_ at him.

Percy still held his dented shield up from where he had angled himself to protect himself and the daughter of Zeus from the onslaught of spikes.

His heart throbbed painfully as he noticed that it was now held between them and Nico.

Thalia remained on the ground, stunned.

But Nico could not bring himself to regret what he did.

Not even at the sight of Percy still holding his shield up against him.

He felt numb.

Nico stood as still as a statue in shock. Fear and adrenaline burnt like fire through his veins.

He was in a state of paralysis as he relived Jason's death.

* * *

(Just to clear up any confusion, a flashback starts here…)

Nico and Jason stood back to back.

What had been a simple scouting mission had turned into a legitimate nightmare.

Their opponents boxed them from all sides.

As Nico stared into the hollow sockets of one of his opponents, he couldn't quite hold back a sneer.

"Huh. So this is what our enemies face," said Jason, parroting his thoughts.

It was in times like these that Nico wondered if his partner in crime was psychic.

And as for what they now faced- well…

Tattered garments covered bones yellowed with age.

Malice glowed in vacant eye sockets set within the rotting sculls.

Legions upon legions of skeletal warriors.

Of course, it was not as nearly as many as the number Nico could summon if he put his mind to it.

But he had no intention of giving the enemy any more ammo than he already had.

This was what they had been afraid of.

The person in front of them possessed what the Oracle had foretold.

The ability to turn Godly power against the user.

'The Harbinger'

And the guy was shrouded in Gaia's power.

But he digressed.

Before him was a worthy opponent.

It was just what he needed to stow away all thoughts of ardor and anguish.

"Nico, focus."

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Okay, let's do this.

* * *

"Nico, wait."

The son of Hades paid him no heed.

" _Listen_ to me…"

No response.

Jason knew that Nico was hurting.

He was too.

The loss of Percy and Annabeth rested heavily on everyone's hearts, Nico's more than most, but they were on a mission.

He understood that.

But he wasn't sure if Nico did too.

Oh, it wasn't like he wasn't doing what his duty called for.

If anything, Nico was throwing himself into it with reckless abandon.

And Jason… was not able to keep up.

He wondered if that was his fate- to chase after Nico's back forever.

Despite everything, when Percy fell…

He thought he finally had a chance, but…

Yeah, he was a horrible person.

Maybe Nico knew.

Maybe that was why the distance between them was growing.

Maybe-

For all his worries about Nico not performing, in the end, he was the one who lost himself in thought like a moron.

And it was Nico who paid the price.

A skeleton dashed past Jason, and snuck behind Nico.

What happened next was blindingly fast-

A kick to the back of his knee and another to his solar plexus.

And Nico went _down._

Jason's vision swum red.

A shout, and before he knew it, he had sliced through the skeleton in one strike.

The remaining skeletons converged on him, the last one standing.

But Jason didn't mind.

If the skeletons were after him, they weren't after Nico.

And if they weren't after Nico-

Jason should have learnt his lesson the last time.

He should have kept his attention at the work at hand.

But at least this time, _he_ was the one who paid his dues.

Next thing he knew, he was sent skidding across the ground…

Away from his sword, and right under another-

Only this one was in the hands of a skeletal warrior.

Closing his eyes didn't stave off the pain.

But even through the haze, Jason felt three things-

A cry, as Nico finally recovers,

A slash of pure energy as, the last of the skeletons disappear into nothing.

And (although he wasn't entirely sure if he'd imagined it) a silent huff of laughter.

He felt a pair of hands that were as cold as death itself wrap around him.

He looked up into the enraged face of Nico di Angelo.

Nico was crying, screaming at him.

Nico's hands grew warmer and warmer.

Jason felt worse than he had ever felt in his life.

He didn't need to be a Son of Hades to know that he was beyond help.

But he was born a Roman, so he should die a Roman.

And as Roman, and by the law of Rome, his duty came in first and foremost.

He wasn't fully conscious when he asked Nico to swear to avenge him.

But he heard Nico's reply.

It was enough to make him smile despite his misery.

 _'_ _So I'm really going to die, huh. Not that bad a way to go.'_

As he saw the light, he had just one last thought.

 _'_ _No wait. I never told him I loved him.'_

* * *

What a mess.

The dark robed figure surveyed the carnage cause by the two demigods with no little glee.

The brunet cut through the thick of the fight like a man possessed while his blond counterpart demolished the stragglers with extreme prejudice.

One of them will die today.

That much was certain.

While he didn't really care for people, he was curious to know what would become of the one who lived.

Even as he looked on, the son of Zeus lost his footing.

What a wonderful, wonderful mess.

(…And it ends here. FYI, the last one is in 'the Harbinger's' POV.)

* * *

It was Nico's greatest regret.

The fact that his own skeletons had brought about Jason's death…

It was the one thing that he could never forgive himself for.

But maybe he would have a chance to do so now.

…Unless he was already too late.

His heart thumped faster.

He knew that Jason was supposed to be alive.

He knew that he was supposed to be fine.

But then…

What if he _wasn't_?

Things went wrong.

Especially around Nico.

And the person he was closest to…

How would it affect him?

…

Nico made a decision.

It wasn't a smart decision.

Powers and exhaustion aside, this could break him- mentally and emotionally.

He knew that he wasn't ready for it.

He knew it better than anyone else.

Dammit.

You were supposed to stay away from things that could hurt you if you felt as fragile as glass.

But at that moment more than he felt vulnerable-

He felt weak.

His best friend could be dead before he got the chance to meet him again.

Like the final straw on the camel's back, and it shattered his resolve.

He had to know.

He felt it would send him to pieces if he didn't.

And so, Nico focused his consciousness on searching for Jason's life force.

He closed his eyes, coaxing his body to relax.

It was a bad idea.

It took more than he could afford.

It could threaten the stability of his powers, his body and his mind.

Even so, Nico searched for Jason, through his own life force, like a madman.

He scoured every road, every building and every life force in the Legions of Camp Jupiter.

But Jason was nowhere to be found.

He felt the sparks of panic touch his heart, and redoubled his efforts.

He searched New Rome.

He searched and searched and searched.

He was one panicked breath away from scanning the entire United States when-

 _There_.

He finally found him, located in the house of a legacy.

He linked his life force with Jason's for just a second so that he would know what was happening.

A sight not his own enveloped his vision.

Jason was lounging with his friends, Marcus and Lilith.

They seemed to be enjoying some precious time off.

He fixed his eyes onto Jason's face, drinking in the sight and sound of him.

The four of them were recalling something that involved unicorns, ostrich feathers and the color green.

Even as he felt his pulse steady and his spirits lift, Jason turned towards him.

And, impossibly, _looked_ at him.

Nico felt his own eyes widen in shock and cut the connection abruptly.

* * *

His heart pounded in his chest.

As he slipped away from Jason's consciousness, black spots danced on the edge of his peripheral vision.

Reality returned to him with the force of a sledgehammer.

While he had been unresponsive, chaos had erupted around him.

The Hunters had shown up, and were creating uproar.

Percy and Thalia were adding fuel to the fire.

Annabeth tried to play peace-keep, but to no avail.

Bianca was on the other side of the crowd.

Her eyes were fixed on him.

Her gaze held a mixture of concern and caution as she elbowed her way through the hostile crowd to reach him.

As he followed her progress in an almost detached manner, he felt his legs give way underneath him.

His eyesight became hazy and a weird buzzing noise sounded in his ears.

He could make out Bianca crying out in alarm at his sudden movement.

His kneecaps sparked protest against their sudden burden.

Even so, he didn't respond.

The ground was calling to him, the soundless cry far more powerful than a siren's song, and he felt himself slip sideways, unable to refuse its wordless plea.

 _The ground had not wronged me_ , Nico thought deliriously, _Gaia did_.

Gaia, and Gaia alone, was responsible for the misery he and his friends suffered, and Gaia, and Gaia alone, had to pay.

For Gaia had hurt him and his, so, _so_ much.

But Gaia hadn't hurt him yet...

And there on that cold, snow clad ground, he let the silent tears which he had suppressed till then fall softly down his face as he grieved.

He grieved for the pain of loss he felt at his sisters' absence, both for Bianca's and for Hazel's.

He grieved for those who were dear to him and those who had died heroic deaths.

He grieved for the memories which he had, but had not been made, and which would never become reality.

He grieved for the life he'd lived, which was now worth less than a memory.

But those tears were not just those of sadness.

They were also brimming with an emotion he hadn't felt since the time he'd heard Rachel's last Prophesy-

Hope.

For in those few minutes, he had recognized the magnitude of the changes he had made.

Annabeth had not fallen off the cliff.

Percy had no reason to participate in the Quest.

That alone had the potential to change his entire, no, _the_ entire future.

Hopefully for the better, but that rested on whether he did or did not mess up.

And he _wouldn't_ mess up.

He couldn't afford to.

He remembered three things before he surrendered to the darkness dragging him down, down-

The soft snowy ground caressing his cheek, the cold seeping slowly through his listless side and Bianca's frantic cries of worry mixed with the echo of Jason's ringing laughter in his ears.

* * *

 **Preview:**

 **...** Nico was, for once, content.

...Not necessarily in that order.

...Wait a minute. Did she just say...?

...Both of them were scowling and annoyed.

...'This little wooden boy's was called Pinocchio.'

...Annabeth's eyes were a steady grey.

...Nico ended with a hiccup.

"…Yes, ma'am," said Nico, after a pause.

...She gave her Lieutenant a significant look.

* * *

 **A/N:** Don't forget to vote!

The options are: **vagabond, evil army** or **unconsciousness**.

Please poll or review.

Up to two options are allowed.

Also, I'm thinking of shifting my update to Wednesday instead of Saturday.


	3. Wounds Reopened

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm sorry if any confusion was created by the splitting of stories. I've given a more detailed note about it in the first story's sixth chapter. Please refer to that if you have any doubts, and if you still feel confused, feel free to PM me or ask in the reviews.

And now onto the story! This one's for the dreamers! ;P

 **Summary:** Nico's day has a strange start, not that the rest of it isn't any better. Nevertheless, he tries to convince his sister to see things his way- but with a stubborn streak the size of Hades running through the family, will he succeed?

* * *

 **Book One**

 **Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis**

 **Chapter 7: Wounds Reopened**

* * *

Nico was, for once, content.

He was in front of a campfire at Camp Half Blood.

He was surrounded by his mortal kith and kin.

Leo jumped through the fire, pretending to demonstrate the process of how to 'Stop Drop and Roll' to a couple of youngsters.

(Neither the kids nor the instructor took it seriously. In less than ten minutes, they were all of them were rolling on the floor laughing uproariously.)

Calypso pinched the bridge of her nose and asked for patience- but couldn't quite hide a smile tugging at her lips.

Nico had Jason's arm loosely around wrapped around his shoulder and an armful of laughing Hazel.

Reyna was in a heated debate with Clarisse, something about spears being better than swords.

Frank was on Hazel's other side, almost asleep.

Piper was in no better condition, leaning heavily against Jason.

Annabeth and Percy sat together with their hands clasped gently, along the outer edge of his vision.

Their heads were slightly tilted towards one another, and they were talking about something in soft murmurs.

It was a peaceful scene, perfect and picturesque.

And like all things good in the world-

It didn't last.

Nico untangled himself from the comfortable mess of limbs and turned his head to get a better look at Percy and Annabeth.

But what he saw were bare souls shrouded in the Death Mist of Misery.

If they could be called even that.

They looked like the victims of a famine, their limbs like sticks, swollen knees and knobby elbows, ragged clothes, broken nails.

Tear tracks cut clear lines against the dust which caked on their skin and piled on their shoulders.

They were the splitting likeliness of Akhlys herself.

Percy held the slumping figure of Annabeth close to himself.

But Nico suddenly noticed- it wasn't Annabeth.

It was her corpse.

Heart suddenly heavy, Nico opened his mouth to- he wasn't entirely sure what, call him out maybe? Be the bringer of bad news?

But he didn't get any further than that.

Percy's eyes snapped to him.

He lunged at Nico, his demeanor not unlike that of a zombie.

Nico fell back, shocked.

The fire exploded behind him.

He whirled around to see a pale Calypso, unmoving and with a dagger in her stomach; a maniacally laughing Leo, waving his hands about; and writhing tongues of fire, enveloping the screaming demigods in fiery cages.

His mind filled with panic.

 _The dead sea before him, the crazed fire behind_.

Ropes of fire bound him as he tossed about restlessly.

Nico felt a pain he's never felt before.

It ached though his skin, through his bones- down to his very soul.

"Fool child," came a voice.

Nico writhed in agony as the backdrop of fire melted into brazen bronze.

Bianca was throwing levers, pushing buttons.

"You thought you could escape your fate?"

 _No, no, no. Please, no._

He was in that room again.

He knew what would happen.

He had seen it happen too many times to count.

The all too familiar scene played out again, and when it reached it's climax- just before he saw his sister get electrocuted- he fell.

He fell into the blackness for seven days with electricity sizzling in his ears and brimstone scenting his nose.

"You may leave Tartarus, but Tartarus will _never_ leave _you_."

The black nothingness was starting to morph into an all too familiar terrain.

Tears ran down his sooty cheeks as desperation clawed at his insides.

He stayed there, still fire-bound and helpless, for who knew how long.

In the end, an orange party pony wearing a strawberry blonde wig and a purple tutu came barging in from nowhere and sprayed water onto the fire-

Washing away burning air, burning ground, burning everything, leaving him thoroughly drenched and gasping for breath.

Nico woke up with a start, falling ungracefully onto the floor.

* * *

 _(…yes, it was a dream)_

He blinked the sleepy fog out of his eyes and looked up at his assailant.

A girl with grey eyes, holding a half empty cup of water and wearing a serious expression looked down at him.

He managed to make the gears in his head shift just enough to comprehend who it was.

"…Annabeth?"

Annabeth smiled politely at him and said,

"Hey, Nico. Sorry about that, but you were having a nightmare. You looked like you needed waking up."

Nico took another full minute to wonder by what means of sorcery was Annabeth alive, why did she had such a young appearance and why, in the name of Olympus, was she taller than him.

Not necessarily in that order.

He then came to the conclusion that it _wasn't_ an immensely weird sequel to the dream he had, as he had hoped, but was in fact, the rather unfortunate reality he belonged to.

And as the cherry on top, he was still twelve years old.

"Why am I twelve?" He mumbled, thinking out loud, slightly annoyed and mostly exhausted.

"You're twelve?" Annabeth asked with a hint of surprise.

Seeing Nico's confusion, she elaborated-

"Going just by your size, I thought you were younger. Around ten, at most."

"..."

"Thalia could hardly believe her eyes when such a midget speared the Manticore. Neither did I, to be honest."

Nico pouted at the mention of his height, or rather, its lack thereof.

He scanned his surroundings by force of habit.

It suddenly struck him that his sister was nowhere near his side.

"Where's my sister?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep.

"Bianca left with the Hunters just now. Lady Artemis wished to speak to her," Annabeth said.

 _Ugh_.

The water was freezing around his temples- Nico was sure that it would give him a headache.

He hated his life.

But there was something in that sentence that prickled.

He ran it through his head again.

 _Sister… hunters…_

Wait a minute. Did she just say...?

"I need to see her! Now!"

Nico was suddenly wide awake.

He frantically untangled his legs from the blanket which had managed to wind itself around his legs and tumbled off the bed.

He ran towards the opening of the tent, and stumbled at the opening flap because of the sudden cold.

Annabeth barely managed to catch him just before he fell face-first onto the snowy ground.

"Where do you think you're going?" said she, scolding.

"I'm sorry, but this is important."

The cold winter air bit at his exposed skin, and Nico hated himself for going out into the cold in only a shirt and a pair of jeans.

If Bianca was here, she would kill him.

And naturally, the thick bandages wrapped around his head were damp and didn't nothing to keep the cold away.

If anything it made it worse.

As he stumbled out of the tent, many of the Hunters who were tending to the fire, the erection of tents, and other such activities stopped and stared at them.

Well, in their defense, he supposed that they _did_ look strange.

Still, it was rude.

He let it slide to gaze around them, searching for his sister.

"Do you know where my sister is?" he asked those near him.

The Hunters, like the Amazons, were part of the Alliance. They fought fiercely after the Fall of Olympus, even with Artemis's fading.

The silver clad girls would roam through the Headquarters of the Alliance, with new members joining them every week.

They were considered an elite unit, with Thalia Grace leading them into victory in every mission dubbed impossible.

The Hunters had been Nico's friends, his allies.

They had fought by his side.

He had even stopped blaming them for Bianca's death.

But that did not mean that he would allow them to take his sister away from him _this_ time.

At least, not without a fight.

"Your sister?"

"Bianca," Nico elaborated.

One of the Hunters pointed to a tent, and Nico wobbly started to make his way towards it.

Jack Frost nipped at his nose.

His legs felt like they were made out of jelly.

The ground was covered with a thick blanket of snow.

He managed to take a few more steps before he saw the tent flap flip open.

The crowd parted to let Bianca hurry towards him.

Percy followed, not far behind.

Both of them were scowling and annoyed.

But if Bianca's life span was still that of a mortal's, it wasn't for naught.

And it was.

For now.

"Bianca!" Nico called out in a voice that was saturated with relief.

He felt his knees give way as his sister took him away from Annabeth and moved her arms around him.

"Nico!" Bianca cried shocked, as her brother all but fell into her arms.

"You should be resting! Why isn't he resting?" asked Bianca, glaring around at Annabeth and the nearby Hunters.

"Don't join them. Don't join the Hunters," said Nico desperately, clinging onto Bianca's arm in order to reclaim her attention.

"Don't tell me what to do, Nico, you… Wait a minute- How did you know about that?" asked Bianca, narrowing her eyes at her brother suspiciously.

Er, good question.

Um.

"I saw- I had-"

Oh dear, he was panicking.

" _Breathe_ , Nico."

Annabeth looked solemn.

"It this about your nightmare?"

Annabeth.

May you live a thousand years, you lifesaver.

"You had a nightmare? What nightmare?"

Nico gulped in a lungful of air.

"Yeah, I did. I-I saw you leaving me. I saw you join the Hunters and you- you d-died," stuttered Nico, from both desperation and the cold.

Those who heard this gasped.

Murmurs rose up like the jingle of bells.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Bianca, shaken.

"He might have had a demigod dream," said Percy, unusually serious.

"These dreams… they usually come true." put in Thalia.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I know that it must have been scary, but we need to know what you saw. It could be important."

Annabeth's eyes were a steady grey.

Nico's mind whirled.

Should he spin some yarn?

Hm, no.

He had a feeling that Bianca would be able to tell if he lied.

But he couldn't just tell them about the one he actually had.

Or could he...

There was stuff he wasn't supposed to know about like Hazel, the Roman Camp and Tartarus, but the maybe rest of it…

Maybe he could manage- if he could make Annabeth ask the right questions...

"Umm. What… What do you want exactly?"

"What did you see exactly?"

"In... the dream?"

"In the dream. You said something about your sister?'

Okay. He could work with that.

She didn't specify which dream.

He had seen his sister's death plenty of times in his dreams.

The recurring nightmares were one of the reasons he and Clovis knew each other.

* * *

Nico had been reliving his sister's death for the umpteenth time.

Only this time, his dream self had been ripped abruptly from the inside of the burning hot interior of an automaton, and introduced into a comfortable living room.

A blond-haired boy had been situated on a plush armchair, reading a book.

The room was warm from the dancing hearth.

The blond introduced himself as a child of Hypnos.

He gestured to the armchair opposite himself, silently offering him a seat.

Nico took it cautiously.

The boy started reading the book aloud.

He had a melodious voice.

No, not the kind of voice which almost made one seem to sing rather than talk, like the children of Aphrodite had when they charm-spoke.

The kind that made one's words flow fluently, and impart a feeling calm and serenity to those in one's vicinity.

'There was once a story about a wooden toy

That wanted, more than anything, to be a real boy.

He came to life upon a fairy's whim,

And had a strange ailment placed on him:

Every time he spoke a lie, his nose would grow,

This little wooden boy's was called Pinocchio.'

Nico listened to the poem-story with curiosity.

It reminded him of another soothing voice reciting it- the memory as elusive as the others of his childhood.

He found himself letting his guard lower in front of the strange boy of whom he knew nothing of.

As he sunk further into the comfortable armchair, he let his eyes drift close and was pulled into a dream of blue fairies, jiminy cricket and wishes come true.

Later, he'd wake up; all Nico would remember was that the boy's hair was as blonde as a fresh ear of corn.

* * *

When he had woken up the next morning, he had felt well rested and calm.

More so than he had been in a long, very long time.

But back to present circumstances.

Annabeth was looking at him expectantly.

It wouldn't be easy to talk about it.

But…

He glanced at Bianca.

If she really wanted to join the Huntresses…

She should know that much.

"What did you see, Nico?" asked Bianca, softly speaking so that he wouldn't be spooked.

Nico took a deep breath.

"I had a nightmare, F-first it was all d-dark. Then a voice told me to look carefully b-because it was the consequence of my actions. The voice was just so c-cold an-and,"

Nico swallowed.

"And then the darkness sort of- shattered like glass and the shards fell on top of me, stabbing me. And then, I was- I was somewhere else."

Nico went with his momentum.

"It was hot, like burning hot. I was… floating next to you, I think, an-and you were in a metal… cage? It was made of bronze, it was weird."

"Weird how?"

"Well, it… it did not have any bars, but it had all these buttons and levers. You were using them, controlling something, though I'm not sure what, but every moment you spent in there, every moment you stayed in there, it was killing you. It was _killing_ you, and you _knew_ it, but you didn't stop. I- I couldn't do _anything_. I don't know how to explain it."

Nico put a hand through his hair and tugging it in frustration.

"It was like I was both right next to you and far, far away at the same time. I _wanted_ to help you, more than anything in the world, but I couldn't move- I was paralyzed."

He swallowed.

"I wanted to call for help, but I couldn't make a sound. I wanted to cry, for not being able to- because it was just so _hopeless,_ but- but I couldn't even- Wha-what was the point if- if… I just felt- I felt so… _useless_."

Nico wasn't sure whether he could go on.

But he managed to conclude it.

"And then- and then you seemed to notice me at the last minute," he whispered, "You were just about to die and we both knew it. You looked at me and- and-"

Nico ended with a hiccup.

The group surrounding them broke out into murmurs.

Bianca gripped him tightly as he pulled himself back together.

Percy and Annabeth shared a grim look.

A Huntress stepped up angrily-

And then a sudden silence fell.

There was a movement in the crowd and the Hunters parted soundlessly.

A girl with auburn hair who seemed to be slightly older than Nico walked towards them.

She had a silver quiver filled with arrows, and a powerful, yet graceful bow strung around her left shoulder.

Her eyes were a yellowish silver hue, somewhat similar to the moon, which didn't seem all human.

She had a cold, yet brilliant aura around her.

The Huntresses tilted their heads with murmurs of, 'my Lady.'

Bianca stared at her with wide-eyed wonder.

"Lady Artemis," greeted Nico, his back and shoulders curving into a bow.

Artemis and Apollo were his acquaintances in the past, or perhaps the future would be more apt, when they had been the most powerful of the few remaining Olympians.

While Apollo had been the friendlier of the two, Nico shared a feeling of mutual respect with his twin.

And now that he stood in front of her, he felt a bit self conscious.

He stood barefoot and freezing in a pair of jeans and a simple cotton T-shirt in the middle of winter.

Furthermore, he stood in front of an Olympian Goddess with a penchant for turning men who irked her into jackalopes.

The fact that he had puffy red eyes and a few bandages around his head didn't help his impression _at all_.

It just made him look more pathetic.

Why was he bandaged anyway?

"You must be the boy who defeated the Manticore before my Hunters arrived," she said.

Her voice suited her.

It was calming and beautiful, yet had an undertone of pure power.

"Nico di Angelo."

"Yes... ma'am," added Nico, as an afterthought.

The Goddess seemed to consider him.

"Come into the main tent, it is cold and you look as though you are freezing. We have much to discuss."

Nico followed the Goddess into her tent in a rather dazed manner.

As he had settled down after appreciating the furnishings, Artemis said,

"Now that we have settled down, would you care to tell me why you are so against your sister joining the ranks of my Hunters?"

* * *

After the boy left her presence with blazing intensity, Zoë Nightshade stepped out from the shadows of the tent.

She walked precisely around the room to take her place at the side of her Lady.

Artemis stared at the entrance of the silver tent for a few seconds before turning towards her lieutenant.

While it wasn't often that one of her newly-joined Hunters had kith and kin that cared deeply about them, it certainly wasn't unheard of.

It was always a struggle to free them from the tangles of family.

Nevertheless, she had persisted.

He had given his consent, though greatly reluctant.

So that matter should have been settled satisfactorily...

But something about this child was unnerving.

She beckoned her next in command closer with a flick of her fingers.

"Keep an eye on the boy," she murmured,

"He seems to be capable of saving the world, or razing it to the ground. And with the Great prophesy looming over the horizon…"

She gave her Lieutenant a significant look,

"He will be either a powerful ally or a formidable foe in the forthcoming war. Make sure it is the former."

Zoë Nightshade nodded once and left the tent, leaving Artemis to wonder which God could possibly sire the enigma that was Nico di Angelo.

* * *

 **Preview:**

The bus swayed alarmingly.

...His monosyllabic answers (mostly 'huh?') only served to add fuel to the fire.

...Oh gods, what now?

...On top of that, Apollo had been acting weird. Well, weirder than usual.

...Something about enchiladas?

...Were they gaining altitude?

...He felt like he had plunged headfirst into a bucket of ice-cold water.

...If Apollo was _here_ and Thalia was _there_ then… Who was driving the Sun-bus?

...But why?

...As if he needed the extra trouble.

* * *

 **A/N:** And now for the anon reviews! Thank you guys so much!

 **SimplySauve:** *is blown away by sheer coolness* Thanks dude.

 **Matt:** He he, sorry if it confused you! I hope it was clarified in the sixth chapter, but here's a general overview:

Jason was not introduced, per se. He was indirectly mentioned twice- once in a flashback and then just lightly touched upon, gentle as a feather :P. He will have another, more proper introduction when the time comes. But you can expect a few more cameos.

As for Nico's decision- it refers to when Nico decided to search for Jason.

Now, a note on **Nico's decision** :

Nico wasn't in a stable state of mind. He had just gone through a lot of emotional and physical trauma. He wasn't really ready to use his powers. Note that this takes place in his childhood body- this searching for a person thing is pretty advanced level stuff. Who knows what kind of a backlash it would have.

Also, from what we see, canon, the backlash of these Underworldly abilities can be severe. Compare Nico after his shadow travelling spree with Reyna, Coach and the Athena Parthenos with Percy after blood-bending Akhyls. There is a vast difference in the aftermath. While Percy was let off with emotional scars (albeit deep ones), Nico legit melted into shadows. And it was at it's worst stage _after_ his job was done. What would have happened if it had started going really bad at the beginning?

That was what could have happened when Nico decided to search for Jason.

It wasn't smart, but luckily, the Fates were on Nico's side.

This time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Do you like it? I sure hope you do!

Don't forget to vote!

The options are: **vagabond, evil army** or **unconsciousness**.

Please poll or review.

Up to two options are allowed.

And I have officially decided to give up on having any semblance of an update schedule. I have a newfound respect for all those people who can resist the temptation of posting all of their completed chapters at once. _Ganbare_!


	4. Life is a Highway

**A/N:** Hey guys! This is AK again with a new chapter. Kudos to all who catch the reference in the chapter title!

* * *

 **Book One**

 **Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis**

 **Chapter 8: Life is a Highway**

 **(A Highway to Hell)**

* * *

The bus swayed alarmingly.

Nico merely curled up tighter into himself.

To think that he had actually believed that the Universe had given him a break.

Ha-freaking-ha ha.

Ha.

It had started off pretty well.

One rides Apollo's chariot only once in a lifetime, after all.

You could say that he'd been looking forward to it.

And it so happens, that he had an extremely vivid memory of this particular incident.

Apollo had taken to teasing him about it in the other timeline.

(The God had taken great amusement in tearing his reputation to shreds.

Curse him and his selective memory.

But it sent a warm flutter in his heart all the same)

When he was introduced to Apollo the second time, he had taken great pleasure in reenacting history.

His high spirits only soared higher as Percy sat next to him with a small smile.

And as the cheery on top, he had bagged the window seat!

But after that, it seemed like the universe had come back to its senses.

And tried to make up for its temporary lapse of sanity by working over time.

Before he could catch himself, he turned to look at his sister.

And remembered.

She wasn't just _his_ sister anymore.

And, even worse, he realized that Bianca was giving him the cold shoulder.

It smarted.

He could accept what had happened.

It was what had happened last time as well.

It wasn't like he expected the flow of time to change that readily.

And he probably should have expected this, but… Bianca didn't even hesitate before taking her Huntress vows.

Even after she heard his nightmare.

Even after he begged her to think twice.

It hurt in a way that he didn't expect it to.

But that wasn't all.

Nico's nails dug into clenched palms.

He was angry.

He was livid.

His sister had abandoned him.

 _Again._

Oh, but it didn't stop her from latching onto him as he left the Goddess's tent.

No, she pestered him for details about Lady Artemis in the guise of worrying about his nightmare.

Back then, he was shaken up by the incident, and he couldn't face her barrage appropriately.

His monosyllabic answers (mostly 'huh?') only served to add fuel to her fire.

 _'Why don't you answer me? Did you make it up? Nico, how could you do that? Do you know how much I was looking forward to this? What do you always have to ruin_ everything _?'-_ She had suddenly snapped at him before ignoring him completely.

How could she do that?

Did she really think that little of him?

He had only been trying to look out for her.

Argh!

It made him so _mad._

Better turn his thoughts to other things.

Oh yeah.

Remember him gushing about Percy sitting next to him?

Yeah, it was because Grover had occupied the seat next to Annabeth, the _only_ seat next to Annabeth, and this one was the next best thing.

So yeah.

Apart from the initial high of the Son of Poseidon sitting by his side, the only fluttery feeling he had in his gut was from vertigo.

Twice a minute, Percy would glance at Annabeth as if she was God's greatest gift to this green earth.

If that alone wasn't bad enough, after a while, Percy started glancing at him too, though not nearly as fondly.

The older demigod had a strange expression on his face.

Apart from the general worry present in everyone's faces, his eyes showed guilt and… wait, was that _jealousy_?

Oh gods, what now?

Nico followed his line of sight...

He felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

Oh Hades, Percy Jackson, his _ex-_ crush (yes, he was over him, thank you very much), was jealous of _him_ , Nico di Angelo, over _Annabeth Chase-_ _Percy's_ crush and not-yet girlfriend.

All that was needed as a finishing touch, like Annabeth developing a crush on him, or him falling head over heels for Annabeth.

It would be a 'tragic' love triangle worthy of legend.

Please, note the sarcasm.

Fed up with all the drama, he curled to the side and pretended to sleep.

It didn't exactly work, since no one could sleep through the cacophony being created up front.

But they still left him alone.

Mostly.

* * *

Grover's piercing screams resounded in his ears as the satyr beseeches Apollo to take the wheel from Thalia.

Nico's half lidded eyes caught on the Sun god, who was hovering anxiously next to the driver's seat where Thalia was attempting to drive the Sun-bus.

The key word being ' _attempting'_.

It had been a long and exhausting day, and he needed his shut-eye.

He deserved that much after the incident with the Manticore.

He _didn't_ deserve being tossed around like a rag-doll.

To top things off, Apollo had been acting weird.

Well, weirder than usual.

And how exactly did Nico know Apollo's usual spectrum of weirdness you ask?

Well you see, shortly after the Olympus had fallen, Apollo had been found.

He had been mortal and wounded.

It was ironic- his punishment would be the very thing that prevented the Gods from being completely wiped out.

Later, Apollo and Chiron would round up all the surviving minor gods, demigods, Hunters, Amazons, and other supporters of the Gods, and form the Alliance.

Later still, Apollo would (ironically) fall to Python, the monster which he'd defeated as a baby God.

But before all that, there were the beginnings of a Camp.

A Camp that would eventually evolve into the Alliance.

A Camp consisting of the remnants of Greek and Roman demigods alike.

And in this Camp, a new rule was put into practice.

All those who were a part of the Alliance were treated equally.

Whether the member was a God, a mortal, or even in a few rare cases like Tyson, a monster; all lived in the same place, ate the same food, and breathed the same air.

Just as they fought the same war, against the same enemy.

The concept was to create the feel of brothers-in-arms.

The concept was nice enough.

But humans, as they were, were vicious creatures.

And when the unreachable Gods are dragged down to Earth, it's only a matter of time before they were torn apart.

Not even Apollo, the 'Golden Child', would be an exception.

However…

Luckily for Apollo, he was in the company of a little spitfire who went by the name Meg.

And over the course of the war, Nico had reluctantly managed to befriend the unlikely duo.

That was why he was about 79.38% sure that something was bothering the Sun God.

Naturally, there was a 20.17% chance that he had broken up with one of his many lovers and a 0.45% chance that Nico was imagining it.

His musings were cut off as the Sun-bus lurched sideways.

He fell onto Percy, sending both of them out of their seats.

Before he could feel properly embarrassed, they were practically _thrown_ up the narrow aisle as the bus jerked again.

They came to a skidding halt after they hit Grover.

As soon as his world stopped spinning, Percy got off Nico while apologizing frantically to no one in particular.

He dragged Grover away.

The satyr was half conscious and groaning out loud.

Something about enchiladas?

Well… it was nice to know that some people had their priorities straight.

Just as he made to get up, the bus lurched again as Thalia slowed down for no apparent reason.

He was sent flying again, though this time; his journey was solitary and not nearly as pleasantly cushioned.

He was smashed against the back rows with a surprising amount of force.

A sudden jolt of pain rushed through him- Pain where it shouldn't be felt.

And this one hurt far worse than the previous.

He stayed on the floor curling onto one side in a haze.

A pair of sturdy hands pulled his small body off the floor and hauled him onto the nearest empty seat.

"Nico!"

"Hey kid, are you okay?" someone asked worriedly.

Nico tried to answer that no, he was most certainly _not_ alright, but all that he could manage was a rather pathetic whimper.

Oh c'mon!

He'd gotten through worse!

Well, will get through…

"What happened?" Thalia demanded, from the front of the bus.

"Not sure yet."

Something poked his ribs, and the sharp pain made spots dance across his vision.

"As I thought. Broken."

Voices murmured like the buzzing of bees.

Nico would've fallen unconscious if not for Annabeth's steadiness.

Someone put a chewy something in his mouth.

It had a nice, warm taste, something that reminded him a bit of home.

(It tasted like the brownies of New Rome.)

He opened his eyes.

Either Apollo had forcibly taken the steering wheel away from Thalia, or she had given it up in favor of helping him.

Nico had a feeling it wasn't the latter.

Annabeth broke bite sized pieces of ambrosia from a larger slab for his convenience.

Thalia, who was perched in the seat directly in front of him.

"It's impressive, really. You remember your Mythomagic facts even when you're half dead."

What?

He didn't remember saying anything.

"Heh. Well, it seems like he's fine. Feeling better?"

It took him a moment, but he was able to answer.

"Yeah."

There was no use in alarming anyone.

It was just a little skid.

Annabeth frowned.

"Are you sure?" she prodded.

"Well, my head still hurts. And I feel bit dizzy."

Annabeth frowned deeper.

"That's not supposed to happen," she mumbled.

He caught a peek at his elder sister in his peripheral vision.

She was hovering nearby, evidently wishing to help, but unable to do anything productive.

She was wearing an unfamiliar expression that held a good dose of sisterly worry, protectiveness and… something far less pleasant.

The air around Nico was starting to get colder.

Were they gaining altitude?

Or maybe they were slowing down?

But a quick glance outside the window showed him that both guesses were incorrect.

He darted his eyes around, taking note of the other passengers' expressions, but no one else seemed to be perturbed about the change in temperature.

He opened his mouth, just about to comment on the irregularity, when he caught sight of Percy, who was standing to one side- away from the crowd.

Percy shot him a reassuring look.

Seems like the older was back to normal, and okay, no-

Nico felt his cheeks heat up.

But unfortunately, it didn't stop there.

It grew hotter and hotter until Nico's head felt like it was in a furnace.

He vaguely heard Bianca say something.

Suddenly, a cool hand was placed on his forehead.

"Hey Annabeth, I think we should get Lord Apollo's help. He's burning up," said Thalia from her perch in front of Nico.

He thought he heard Annabeth say something about altitude sickness.

It became warmer and warmer still.

Annabeth was still talking to Thalia.

Suddenly, he brought his hand up to clutch weakly at the collar of his shirt.

His eyes slipped closed against his will.

Thankfully, his abrupt gesture caught some attention.

Thalia must have seen something because she had a note of alarm in her voice when she next spoke.

Someone made a strangled noise.

Nico couldn't move.

His hand dropped from his neck.

The muscles in his arm seemed to lack the coordination required to hold it up, and started to spasm weakly.

He felt the world tilt to one side.

 _'What? Again?'_ Nico thought incredulously as hurried footsteps ran towards the front of the bus.

It felt like a phoenix was trapped inside his chest. A phoenix that was sapping his strength and doing its best to break out of its confines.

His skin was flushed like he ran a fever, and his chest hurt terribly.

"What's happening to my little brother?" demanded Bianca.

She turned to glare at the people around her when silence was her only reply.

Thalia stepped in and pulled her a little way away from the crowd gathered around Nico.

Though his brain felt like cotton candy, he was able to make out a few words of what Thalia told Bianca.

"…Nectar... almost overdosed… burnt up… accident… worry… lucky… Lord Apollo… will be alright."

Nico felt another pair of cool hands on his burning forehead.

Suddenly, he felt like he had plunged headfirst into a bucket of ice-cold water.

The cold-shock didn't last for long though, and he gasped for air.

He felt a vague feeling of surprise as the hands slowly became warmer and the heat inside him was soothed, like a fire banked by embers.

He felt himself relaxing.

As soon as he was able, Nico cracked open his eyes a bit, and tried to piece together what was happening.

He was able to make out a pair of tan skin and blue eyes past the warm hands that were now against his head.

As the hands became gentler still, the owner of the hands came into view.

It was Apollo.

Oh yeah, the God of Healing.

 _'He is stabilizing my temperature_ ,' realized Nico, his thought process becoming much less muddled with time.

After a while, he was able to open his eyes fully.

The warm hands left his face and re-appeared at his upper arms, as he slipped sideways, nearly sliding right off the leather seat.

Wait a second.

If Apollo was _here_ and Thalia was _there_ then…

Who was driving the Sun-bus?

His panicked eyes caught on Zoë in the driver's seat.

She focused every molecule of her being on driving the vehicle.

Nico sighed inwardly with relief.

Warm arms gave him up to Bianca.

Nico was sorry to feel them go.

But luckily, Bianca didn't get the hint.

She murmured reassurances while she slid into the seat near the window.

She gently put his head on her lap.

She wrapped her arms securely around his torso and the soft warmth helped him to clear his head.

And then, Nico was back to feeling miserable.

He was tired, exhausted and numb from cold.

Every part of his body had a deep set ache, and he could hardly move.

His hands were twitching.

His nerves were frayed, both literally and metaphorically.

However all these paled in comparison to his heart, which burned worse with each time it beat.

At one point of time, a wave of agony went through his body every time he felt his pulse.

But eventually, the pain started to wane.

Slowly, steadily, it withdrew, and was replaced with a blanket of soul numbing exhaustion.

With lack of other activities, Nico let his still slightly delirious mind wander.

He just needed to catch a train of thought and he could go on for hours.

He cast his eyes about for inspiration.

His eyes caught on his sister's brooch.

He didn't remember seeing it before.

He wondered if one of the Huntresses has given it to her.

It had the number 3 on it, in fancy writing.

The number three was such an important number in Mythology.

There were just so many instances.

But why?

Why was there a Big Three in the Greek Gods?

There could have been a Big Two, or a Big Five, but why _three_?

It was strange.

There were also three fates, the three Grey Sisters, three sides to a triangle, three points to Poseidon's trident; it took three heroic lives to reach the Isles of the Blest, and the quests commissioned by the Oracle too had three, or multiples of three, members...

If there had been more than that, the extras were killed.

The shadow shrouded areas around him became noticeably darker as he remembered that the quest in which Bianca had died.

He decided it was high time to divert his train of thought.

Come to think of it, it wasn't just in Greece.

It was the same case in the Roman Gods, as Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto.

The Hindu Gods too had Lord Shiva, Lord Narayan and Lord Brahma as the Trinity.

In Christianity they had the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And- and…

He remembered something that he had read somewhere, a long time ago in the other timeline - _Things come best in threes_.

Nico realized that he had also come close to kicking the bucket for the third time in just less than twenty four hours.

First with Kronos and the time travel, then with the Manticore and lastly with the near overdose of ambrosia.

Ha ha, he sure had given them a scare with the Manticore, hadn't he?

His mind then wandered to the strange looks he had received.

At this rate he was going to join the freak-show- Oh, what's this?

His eyes had caught onto something strange.

Speaking of things usually coming in threes- Percy. Then Bianca.

Both had given him looks that sent a chill down his spine.

And now.

From his position, Nico was just able to see Apollo's eyes.

Going between him and Bianca with no little suspicion.

Great.

As if he needed the extra trouble.

* * *

 **Preview** :

 _'Much different from what happened here the last time,'_

 _..._ If only he had been a little faster…

"…People are talking."

...Jason just smiled an odd, sad smile.

"...Is that… lava?"

...He had kept the Apollo healers on their toes...

...And yet again, he fell short.

..."He's a centaur,"

..."I beg your pardon?"

...He was pretty sure his retinas were permanently damaged.

..."The den?" asked Nico.

 _Time to make some ripples._

* * *

 **A/N** : Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I'm not sure when I can update again, since I'll be busy this week and the next. We're also reaching the end of the second arc. The next chapter is the ninth chapter, and the last of this arc.

I will close the poll after the tenth chapter! I will explain why soon enough.

If you'd like to vote, the options are:

Evil army,

Vagabond, and

Unconsciousness.

You can either poll on the profile page, or you can cast your vote in the reviews.

Remember! Every vote counts!


	5. Erster Blick

**A/N:** Hello again peeps, here's the last chapter of this arc! The next arc should be up sometime next week (can't promise tho). This is one long chapter...

Erster Blick is from German, meaning first sight. As for first sight of what... read on to find out!

* * *

 **Book One**

 **Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis**

 **Chapter 9: Erster Blick**

* * *

 _'_ _Much different from what happened here the last time,'_ thought Nico.

The Sun-bus shuddered to a stop near the canoe dock at the lake as Zoë guided it gracefully onto the ground.

A few of the campers were loitering about.

One of them took a double take and ran to the Big House.

Presumably to inform the Camp Directors of their arrival.

(Or maybe get backup spears to chase him out, but that was mere paranoia speaking. But was it...Ah, never mind- he can track him by his life-force.)

The rest observed the bus from a safe distance.

Nico had stepped out of the Sun Bus first.

He hobbled out with shaky legs.

The others stumbled out, groaning and aching.

In that respect, Nico had been fortunate.

Apollo had take care of the travel bumps, knowingly or unknowingly, while healing his more serious injuries.

As he waited for the others to step out of the bus, Nico observed the Camp.

So this was the place which was a safe house for Greek demigods before the rise of Gaia.

His eyes drunk in the familiar sight of Camp Half Blood.

It was bathed in colors of the late afternoon sun.

Something caught in his throat, and he felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

There had been a light snow.

Presumably the brunt of it had been melted away by the heat of the sun-bus.

But winter's touches could still bee seen.

The whitish puff of frost that was seen as he exhaled.

A snowy owl sat perched on one of the cabins.

Little fingers of frost had covered the little leaves of the stray plants growing in the strawberry fields.

The cabins were decorated with Christmas lights, as well as some of the other trees around the area.

Even the Big House seemed to be infected by the Christmas Spirit, a warm glow in the attic, and sparse amounts holly and tinsel decorations taped onto the front door and windows.

Though on closer examination, the 'fairy lights' turned out to be little balls of Greek fire.

A sudden wave of nostalgia washed through Nico, shortly followed by one of regret.

During the War with Gaia, Camp Half Blood had been severely damaged in the battle between the Greeks and the Romans.

After Gaia awoke, she finished the job.

One of the things Nico regretted the most in the other timeline was not being able to save it.

If only he had been a little faster…

 _But Jason told me that it wasn't my fault_ , Nico reminded himself, _'If only-s' won't get me anywhere._

* * *

"Not your fault."

"But maybe I could've-"

"Could've what? You'd have to get through the entire Roman army. And Octavian wouldn't stand down on the words of a Greek. You were exhausted from shadow-travel and more than half dead. Even if you weren't, what could have you done?"

"… I don't know."

Jason nodded.

"Like I said, not your fault."

There was a brief silence.

"Maybe I could've shot Octavian from one of those onagers."

"Pft. Yeah, sure. The weasel would have deserved it."

There was another, more comfortable silence than the last.

"…People are talking."

"They always talk," Jason started dismissively.

But one look at Nico's face made him reconsider.

"What is it about this time?" he asked, gentling his tone.

"They said that you would've betrayed Camp Jupiter for Camp Half-blood. Is it true?"

Jason was surprised, then contemplative.

"I don't think I would've, Nico," he said finally, leaning on the railing of the Argo II with his arms crossed before him.

"The fact that you didn't deny it immediately is cause for worry."

"Why would you worry? If it came down to it, you'd hesitate before choosing CHB, right?"

"Oh, undoubtedly. But for me, Half-Blood was never _mine_ to begin with."

Nico gave Jason a significant look,

"In times like these, a certain saying comes to mind- 'A faithful enemy is fairer than a fickle friend'."

A shadow passed over Jason's face.

"Is that a threat?"

Nico shook his head.

He looked tired.

"A warning if you will. War tests the hearts and faiths of men, and our allies have healthy tempers. Believe me, I've been there."

Jason seemed deep in thought.

"…Camp Half Blood was- well, something entirely new to me," said Jason finally,

"It felt like home in a way that Camp Jupiter never felt. You could be there forever, sparring in the arena, having a go at the Lava wall, or just chilling about. And after I lost my memories I can't really _connect_ with Camp Jupiter anymore…"

Nico tilted his head, smiling slightly. He leaned back on the railing, his body supported by his elbows.

"So, you're saying that you wouldn't miss Camp Jupiter as much? Thank your lucky stars that I'm not Reyna, and I can't throw you into the little Tiber without good reason," he said sarcastically.

Jason looked at the son of Hades with no little horror.

"…Don't tell Reyna."

Nico frowned slightly.

"So it's true?" Nico asked in a smaller than usual voice, "You'd choose Camp Half Blood over Camp Jupiter?"

"What's dearer to me is a difficult question to answer."

Jason sighed.

"Camp Jupiter, from what I remember of it, is a place of toil- a place of blood, sweat and tears. If you want your place, you will earn it. It is the kind of home from which you take from liberally, but you still give back more than you take. It belongs to me, and I know it belongs to me, because I have earned it. Camp Half Blood, on the other hand…"

Jason sighed again.

"It is the kind of home which you get without doing anything. It is what you get as your birthright, that which accepts you as its own without having to prove yourself to it. Whether or not you know what to expect, it will always have your back. Logically, Half Blood would be the better choice. If I learnt to be a warrior in Camp Jupiter and I learnt to be veteran in Camp Half-Blood."

He looked at Nico with serious eyes.

"But if it really truly came down to it, my heart tells me I'd choose Camp Jupiter."

"You're not just saying this because of Reyna?"

"I'm not just saying this because of Reyna."

"Even without your memories?"

"Even without my memories."

"Even if-"

"Nico. My answer won't change."

"Huh."

There was a thoughtful silence.

One more comfortable than the last.

Nico suddenly beckoned him closer with a bend of his fingers.

"Is it strange that I feel the vice versa?" asked Nico quietly, as if he was sharing a secret.

Jason stared at Nico for a long second.

He shook his head with a small chuckle before saying,

"No, I don't think it is. Blood tells, after all. And despite what some would say, there is no shame in being Greek."

Nico smiled a bit.

"I like that answer."

He turned his attention to the rippling ocean ahead of him.

The sunlight dappled on the deep blue depths, turning it a beautiful blue-green mirror.

It made his breath catch and his heart ache.

He noticed that Jason was still looking at him and arched an eyebrow.

Jason just smiled an odd, sad smile.

* * *

They had spent the rest of the evening talking about various little things.

Overall, it had been a pleasant and relaxing day, without any monster interference.

It had also been exactly one month before Jason's death.

Nico was jerked out of his thoughts when Percy tripped over a stone and nearly crashed into him again.

"Oh for Hera's sake, seaweed brain! Don't be such a klutz," sighed Annabeth in fond exasperation.

Seeing the more familiar faces, the campers converged in them.

"Nice entrance, Annabeth," grinned Michael Yew, "Gliding in on a magic school bus-"

His eyes widened.

"Is that-"

"Gods, why?" groaned his sister Kayla.

Apollo had stepped out of the bus.

All of his children paled.

They shuffled their feet, torn between edging closer and shifting away.

One of the younger children of Apollo came up to him.

He had blue eyes, blond hair and a face full of freckles.

He had the kind of face that made people want to pinch his cheeks and an angelic air about him.

He grinned brightly at Nico.

It was pleasing to the eye.

"Do you want me to check your head?

"...Excuse me?"

His indignation must have shown in his tone.

The boy hurried to say, "You have bandages on it so..."

He trailed off, mumbling.

Nico blinked.

His fingers unconsciously went to his forehead, and sure enough, it was met with the roughness of gauze.

"Ah, no I'm fine," he said to the boy, who still looked reluctant to let the matter drop.

Nico unfastened the tie holding the covering steady before unraveling it.

"See," said Nico.

The boy touched what appeared to be the place where the spike hit.

It twinged a bit, but the wound had scabbed over already.

"There'll be a scar," the blond informed.

"That just makes it cooler," replied Nico.

That got him a freckled smile.

"I'm Will. What's your name?"

Will? That sounded familiar... but then again, it wasn't an uncommon name.

He peered closer at the boy.

The shape of his eyes and the set of his shoulders... he had a vague recollection of some resemblance- didn't he heal him during the battle of Manhattan?

It suddenly clicked.

Will.

Will Solace.

Councillor of the Apollo cabin.

If he wasn't wrong, the guy had died after being captured by the Romans- one among three Greek causalities at the hands of the Romans.

And that was before the war had even started.

"Um... your name...?"

Nico snapped out of it.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'm-"

He was cut off by Thalia dragging him by his arm.

"Do something about your sister," she grumbled.

Bianca had her eyes glued on Camp.

"Is that… lava?" she asked in a mixture shock and worry.

"Yep." said Percy, popping the 'p' with a grin.

"Lava?" Bianca asked again.

"To add a bit of extra challenge," laughed Percy, a bit nervously.

"...I don't think that is child-proofed. Is it."

It wasn't a question.

Percy was sweating bullets.

He looked at Nico for backup.

However Nico wasn't paying attention.

His eyes were fixed on Chiron rolling up in front of them in his wheelchair.

"And who's that?" he heard Bianca ask.

"That's Chiron, our activities director."

* * *

After the fall of the Underworld, Chiron had taken Nico and Hazel under his wing.

Nico's condition had been far worse than Hazel's.

To say that he had been devastated would be an understatement.

He had kept the Apollo healers on their toes- pale, shaken and crying for a week.

Amlost everyone were certain that he would fade along with his Father.

It wasn't until Thanatos took control of the Doors of Death did he manage to calm down enough for the nectar and ambrosia to work.

Chiron said that it was because he had a stronger connection to the Underworld than most, and his powers were unstable and fraying without a proper anchor.

He had worked with him after that, instructing him on how to center himself in himself and teaching him new moves from scrolls that referred to the powers of the few, little-known children of Hades.

(That was how Nico found out that Edgar Allan Poe was his brother. He couldn't say he was surprised)

His mentor led many battles, fighting fearlessly on the front-lines.

His mere presence was a beacon of hope to the soldiers.

And after the battle, he would sit with them and tend to their wounds, helping the Apollo Cabin patch up the injured soldiers.

At the end of each day, he would be at the funerals of those who fell in battle, giving unspoken support to one and all as each gave their final tributes to their fallen comrades.

And after the last of the mandatory rituals and he was alone, he would kneel beside and murmur a few gentle words for their passing.

Chiron had been one of the founding members of the Alliance. He had been crucial in maintaining the peace. His capture and subsequent death had been a great blow for all.

After this imprisonment, the centaur's official duties fell on to Nico, but though he was effective, he couldn't hope to replace the easy warmth he had, or the effortless comfort he radiated just by his presence.

(The responsibility fell on his shoulders and he to take up yet another role he didn't sign up for.)

(And yet again, he fell short.)

* * *

He had missed him dearly.

But for the time being, he wasn't supposed to know him, and he had to act the part.

"So Chiron's a demigod?" asked Nico turning towards Percy.

Percy shook his head.

"He's a centaur," he said absent-mindedly.

"But where are his legs?"

"Nico, don't be rude," admonished Bianca.

Nico glared at her and turned away huffily.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

Percy coughed.

"Um… no, I think he's referring to his _horse_ legs. Since, you know, he's a centaur- half-human and half-horse."

Chiron inclined his head, "I prefer to hide them during the first encounters."

"Do you know much about centaurs?" asked an older camper kindly.

"The mythical creature that is half man, half horse," nodded Nico, with no little excitement.

"They have the power of wisdom, though they also specialize mainly in long range attacks as their weapon of choice is the bow and arrow. Their status of 1500 Attack points and 1000 Defense points puts them in the middle leagues. The overall attack points are _doubled_ when a centaur is the head of a single division regiment."

"Mythomagic?" someone within hearing distance asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Nico almost shouted in delight.

He felt tears of happiness prickling at his eyes.

Finally! Someone here gave Mythomagic the recognition it deserved.

It was a Will.

Nico opened his mouth happily.

Just as he was about to sing the game's praises, he was cut off by a polite cough.

"Perhaps we should talk in the Big House. Ah, and I suppose the Hunters will stay at Cabin 8? I trust you know the place." said Chiron, ushering the demigods in the direction of the building.

Nico waved at the blond, and followed Chiron with tottering steps.

"I'll go with them to make sure they don't get lost," said Grover distracted.

Nico smiled slightly at his retreating back.

He caught sight of Bianca from the corner of his eye.

Bianca looked a bit torn, but followed the Hunters after giving a conflicted look towards her brother.

Nico simply turned away from her.

Thinking of Bianca was making him feel depressed. He needed a distraction. His eyes fell on Chiron's back.

Nico decided to have some fun.

"Can I climb the lava wall too?" asked Nico.

"Perhaps, when you are a bit older." answered Chiron.

"Oh, okay. And why did I have those bandages wrapped around my head again?"

"What bandages?" asked Chiron, worried.

"He got hit by one of the Manticore spikes when you were charging at it like an idiot," said Thalia.

"Thalia, be nice," scolded Annabeth.

"Manticore?" asked Chiron even more troubled.

"…Um…"

When no one answered him, he sighed.

"It's a long story," hedged Annabeth.

"Very well then, we'll talk about it when we reach the Big House."

"So, how many houses are there?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Houses. It's like Harry Potter, right? Hogwarts has four- you know Slytherin, Gryffindor, Raven-claw and Hufflepuff. What's it here?"

"Ah, well…" Chiron looked at Annabeth for support.

"You are given cabins according to your godly parent. There are twelve in total," said Annabeth.

Nico frowned.

"But why are there just twelve? I mean yeah, twelve Olympians, but still. There are much more than just twelve Gods in total. I think that there are about- well dozens. Maybe even hundreds."

"There are twelve cabins, one each for the twelve Olympians. And sure, the other minor Gods have children, but they are usually bunked in the Hermes cabin, along with the Hermes kids."

"Why Hermes?"

"Lord Hermes is our sponsor of sorts. Those who are unclaimed are also a part of the Hermes Cabin."

"'Unclaimed?'"

"Those who don't know who the identity of their Godly parent. That's where you will be until you're claimed."

"Okay- When will I be claimed?"

There was an uncomfortable pause.

A shadow seemed to pass the centaurs face before he answered,

"Well, it varies from demigod to demigod. None of us can say for certain."

"Cool." said Nico looking around.

It had been quite a while since the destruction of Camp Half Blood.

And even before that, he hadn't stayed for long.

He hadn't really taken the time to appreciate it.

He should have.

Hopefully, it would change this time.

"So does that mean that my sister will be staying with me at the Hermes cabin?"

"Ah, no. Your sister pledged alliance to Artemis, making her a follower of Artemis. Your patron God comes before your Godly parent, so she will be staying with the Hunters in the Artemis Cabin."

"Oh. Can I visit her?"

"I suppose you can try," allowed Percy.

"Which cabin are you in Annabeth?"

"I'll be in the Athena cabin"

"Is it the one with the owl? I'm pretty sure it winked at me."

"Heh," smirked Thalia, "Maybe it means you're a son of Athena."

The idle chitchat continued until they reached the Big House.

Mr. D was sitting in the parlor.

His game of cards had evidently been interrupted by the appearance of the new-comers.

He wore a near florescent orange leopard skin warm-up suit. It looked ghastly paired with his purple running shoes.

How could anybody wear such bright clothing in the middle of _winter_?

He was pretty sure his retinas were permanently damaged.

A laurel lay crooked on his head and a bunch of cards were scattered on the table in front of him.

"You succeeded then," said Dionysus in a bored tone, "And who is this? Another runt?"

"Nico di Angelo. Sir," he added as an afterthought.

Right at that moment, Grover decided to come in.

Nico stared at the satyr in disbelief.

Grover had a black eye and a painful looking slap mark on his cheek, but based on the smile splitting his face, the satyr was under the impression Christmas had come early.

"Hunters have all moved in!" Grover announced cheerfully.

"The Hunters, eh?" Mr. D gave a sidelong glance at Percy and the others.

"Just what kind of trouble did you get into while getting the Di Angelos into Camp?" asked Chiron with a sigh.

"Does it have something to do with the bandages around Diablo?"

"It's Di Angelo, actually." said Nico, who was ignored.

Well, he supposed he missed the Camp Director too.

"Well, yes. And a lot happened," Thalia replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"We got attacked by a Manticore who we think was sent by Luke."

"Yeah, but don't worry." Nico added. "I killed it."

The centaur's eyes widened, and looked towards Annabeth.

She nodded and shrugged her shoulders, as if saying, _'I know, I couldn't believe it either'._

Dionysius expression merely shifted from bored to bored-er.

Nico felt a prickle of irritation.

Did no one believe that he was capable of taking on a monster?

"Perhaps you should sit down," Chiron said, "And tell us the whole story."

His eyes flickered towards Nico.

"And Grover, if you would be kind enough to take young Mr. di Angelo to the den?"

"The den?" asked Nico, feeling like he was forgetting something important.

Grover blanched.

"Oh- Oh yeah, we need to show you the Orientation film. Come on, then."

 **NO**! Abort! Abort!

"Orientation film? Is it G or PG? Bianca's kind of strict-"

 _Please, please let this work…_

"Oh, it's PG-13."

"…I'm twelve."

"… I guess that I could just brief you about what's in it."

 _Score!_

Well, that was one bullet dodged.

Let's see what else he could change in this timeline.

 _Time to make some ripples,_ he thought to himself with a wicked smile.

* * *

 **Reply to reviews:**

 **Psychopath:** Hello again! I'm glad you liked the chapter. No, the party pony wasn't that important. As for the poem story I wrote it myself. The angey huntress is actually Phoebe, the tracker, and I think she was about to say something like, 'how dare you imply my Lady can't take care of her own' or something similar. 'Friends in high places'- did you read the world building chapter at the end of arc one? If you did, what did you think?

 **MisterWhite:** Hello there! Thank you for reviewing in almost all of the chapters! I'm glad you liked Nico's characterization. I guess the Will of Janus interested you? But believe me, older sister's are Hell. As for the ship, nothing's set in stone, but it will be gay because Nico's gay, canonically. Also, about Artemis and Bianca's relationship- no, it's not romantic, but if you have anything against lesbian relationships, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. And this is the first time I attempted to depict stuttering, so sorry if it's not up to your standards. I'm not entirely sure what was the thing about the author's note? And what is an MC Halo? But, I guess he is very fortunate... for now. Things happen later, believe me. Well anyways, thank you for reviewing again!

 **NicoIsAwesome:** Yes, Nico _is_ awesome, (just like you!) and I'm glad you like the previews! Though this chapter doesn't have one, the preview of the next arc will be up soon. And evil army and unconsciousness. Cool, that.

Poll: Evil Army and Unconciousness- one vote each.

* * *

 **A/N:** Don't forget to vote!

The options are: **vagabond, evil army** or **unconsciousness**.

Please poll, pm or review.

The poll will be closed before the next arc, so this is the last chance!

Up to two options are this is the end of the second arc! The third arc will be out soon. Look forward to it!


	6. Poll results and World-Building

Hello peeps! Lovely day isn't it? Thank you all for sticking with WIR so far! I hadn't checked the number of views in a while, so imagine my surprise when it went well above 1500! Thank you all so much!

As you well know, this is the last chapter, a pseudo-chapter, of this arc.

This mean that **the next arc will be published under a separate story.**

*Drum roll* And now, without further ado- the poll results!

* * *

With a total of **35** votes, the distribution is as follows:

 **Unconsciousness** pulls ahead by a stunning **14** votes, **Vagabond** follows with **11** votes and last but not the least, **Evil Army** with **10** votes!

Really guys, thank you! I didn't expect such a turnout. You guys _really_ exceeded my expectations. Thank you all who took the time to vote!

And now, the reason I did this:

It all started because of one thing- writer's block.

I am known to do crazy things when that happens. One time, I scared my parents by screaming because I didn't know the function of a rheostat. At 11:59 pm. (My mum patted my head while papa looked it up- it's a variable resistor used to regulate current flow or something similar. I don't know what I could do without them.)

But I digress- as I said, writer's block. But then, by the grace of the nine muses, I had a stroke of inspiration- three of them in fact.

Three ideas of how the story could progress.

It was like a new world opened up its horizons.

But.

They were all equally appealing.

Then came a question of note.

What should I use?

After much deliberation and crying, I came to the conclusion that I could not bear to part with even one of them.

So, I decided to use all of them!

Of course, it was silly, but here came another question.

(Apart from the obvious, 'Am I insane?!')

In what order should I use them?

This was actually important because I had a few things in mind that would work with some and not with others.

Things like Jason's and Nico's reunion, Reyna's introduction, anything to do with Hazel, Bianca's future, if it exists in the first place, and so on so forth.

Of course, in hindsight, I should have made it a bit easier for my readers (you lovelies!) to vote, and I should have given these reason in the beginning.

But it was done in a moment of madness and by the time I came out of it, the ball was rolling.

Quite well that too.

And what more, the ambiguity of the poll allowed y'all to go crazy.

(I hope) It made you wonder and theorize and bang your head on the wall to figure it out.

That's always a good thing in my book.

So this is the effect: in the second book of Written In Reverse (whose name I haven't decided on), there will have decided three arcs- Analepsis (name of the Unconsciousness arc meaning 'hindsight'), Wanderer (one of the English translations of the French word, Vagabond) and Double Agent (a.k.a. a cooler name for the Evil Army arc).

I think you can guess what some of them are about based on their names.

I haven't written them yet, but please look forward to it!

But the third arc of WIR is already written and will be out soon! Here's a short (very short) preview-

* * *

 **Book one**

 **Third Arc: Cross-tides**

 **Chapter 10: Of Swords and Dummies**

* * *

 _Thwump._

The sound of a sword partially imbedded into armor.

 _Shlink._

The sound of metal grating upon metal.

 _Slash._

The sound of the opponent's head as it is thrown off their shoulders.

 _Thump_.

The sound of a head landing on the floor to rest with several others.

Silence, disturbed only with the sound of harsh panting.

Nico snarled. He stabbed his celestial bronze practice sword into his opponent's torso.

Once.

Twice.

And once more for good measure.

Each time he pulled his sword out, a bunch of his opponent's innards flew out.

Soon, all that was left of the poor training dummy was a dented piece of metal which once bore a meek resemblance to armor, and a loose cloth bag resembling a deflated balloon, once stuffed to the brim with hay.

The few lone pieces of hay that stuck to the dummy only added to the pathetic nature of the picture.

* * *

And now, for a spot of world-building.

 **Regarding Nico's time Travel:**

In case the title and the summary haven't clued you in, this is a time travel fic. And Nico di Angelo (who's around 18 or 19) has time traveled to the past to try and make a mess of a very unpleasant future.

Why do I state the obvious, you ask?

Well, some lovely conspiracy theorists have brought up an interesting question: What happened to Nico's younger self?

This is my personal theory, but feel free to expand on or be selective about it.

So. Consider a person's life to be spring. You know, one of those loose metal coils- like the ones that come out of old furniture in Tom and Jerry?

As a person grows older, as one spends one's time in the world, the spring develops. Grows. For example, if you consider two points of time in a persons life, with a period of one year in-between, then the coil would gradually gain another turn.

This is what happens naturally.

Here, there is no pressure on either side.

But what Kronos has done: he has kind of- compressed Nico's life… spring.

Squeezed/pushed/pressed the ends together.

Basically, Nico's an old soul in a young body.

This is what Apollo picks up on.

But before go to that, here's a plot bunny to chew on.

In regards to the linear movement of time: Nico's younger self is still there, but it has matured all of a sudden.

 **Regarding Apollo's Suspicion:**

As I said, old soul, young body.

Usually, this means Nico would stand out like a sore thumb, more so than he did the last time around.

But he has one advantage- he was in the Lotus Casino.

With Bianca.

When Apollo notices Nico's life-spring, he also notices his sister's, whose life-spring is similarly compressed because of her stay in the Casino.

So Apollo's suspicious, but since he sees both siblings as a set and if and when he looks into this using Bianca as a reference point- he will be satisfied.

This is what would happen.

If it were anyone but Nico.

But.

With his luck.

It's a case of close but no cigar.

…I warned you that things would happen.

But more of that later.

 **Regarding Nico's age:**

Okay, this is a bit troublesome. The books weren't clear and Uncle Rick wasn't any better.

So.

Based on what we do know, canon, when Nico asked Grover what was the rating of the orientation video saying that 'Bianca's kind of strict' and Grover answers 'PG-13', we can assume that he's about that age. My personal head canon, and canon as far as this fic goes, is that he is twelve and a half in the Titan's curse.

With his b-day in Jan, he'd soon be 13, and that's why he thought it was okay to watch it even though his sis told him not to.

Of course, that could also just be little Nico being a little rebel (and if that isn't the cutest, I don't know what is).

So if Nico's 12 in TC, 13 in BotL, 14 in tLO he would be around 15 in BoO.

And now, the sticky part.

Lotus Casino.

The heck do I do with it?

Canon, Nico spent seventy-ish years in the Casino.

It wasn't touched upon much, so it has the unlimited potential of the unknown.

I haven't tapped into it yet, but maybe later.

And now, some of the more popular questions that have been asked:

 **Reg: What Nico Feels about Bianca**

 **Reg: Alliance Camp Nico**

 **Reg: Quest in Titan's Curse**

 **Reg: What Jason saw**

 **Reg: What happens to Zoe Nightshade and Bianca di Angelo?**

These will be addressed in the upcoming chapters.

If you have any other queries, then feel free to ask! I'll try my best to explain it. I might reply late into the story because I want to avoid spoilers as and when possible, but it will be answered in all due time.

Well, that's it for now.

Once again, thank you for sticking with me through two arcs and keep an eye out for the third and last arc of this book: Cross-Tides, coming soon.

Silver Wolf, signing out.


End file.
